The West Highland white terrier is a smart, loveable, active and fun loving animal. I am kind of biased, being the author of Mad About Westies. To be honest, I preferred larger dogs until we got our westie puppy called Pepper. Now I am completely won over.
I find him such great fun, especially when playing soccer. He is just great in dribbling the ball around. They make great guard dogs (ask my neighbour) and will announce to the world the present of any stranger to the house.
Our own Westie loves riding in the car; like most dogs and just goes crazy when I get out the lead to take him a walk. It's hard to imagine how small he was, when he first entered the house. He still chases our poor cat, though lately it has been giving him a swipe, just to let him know that she was in the house before he arrived.
When the westie dog is fully grown it has a height of around 10-11 inches for the male breed and slightly smaller for the female. The weight can range from 14 -20 pounds and if looked after with regular health checks, it can have a life span of 15 + years.
The westie has it's origin in Scotland, as can be guessed from the name. It was originally bred to hut vermin, but will turn out to be such a great companion dog. From my own experience, I reckon it still thinks it is a large dog in small body. I have also found it will rarely back down from any dog.
Introduce your Westie puppy to the grooming cycle as early as possible. If you brush the coat on a regular basis, this will get rid of any dead hairs on the coat. When he grows to adult, it is recommended that you try and get his coat cut every 6 weeks, especially during the hot months.
Overall you will have a loyal friend and great companion if he is treated with love and respect. They also need to know that you are the boss ( alpha dog). Whatever your reason for acquiring a westie puppy or dog, you have to remember that dogs are animals, not human beings. Actually for some owners that is a hard bridge to cross, because their dogs are their children.
Dogs by nature are pack animals and In every pack there is a leader, which is known as the alpha dog. This alpha dog makes decisions for the entire pack and everyone else in that pack has a place and knows their place. If you do not take on the role of the leader, the Westie will usually try and step in to try and fill this roll of alpha dog. This is when the problems start.
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Jeff Cuckson is webmaster of "Crazy About Westies"
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information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
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